Best Bluetooth Headphones under $35

With headphone jacks going the way of the dodo the question of the day has become what Bluetooth audio products should you have in your life. Having owned a sleek pair of $399 Dash earbuds, but when you have to replace one for $150, you’ll agree, expensive wireless headphones are dumb.

I’m going to make a few suggestions for buds that you won’t loose while running for the train. Before we dive in I’m going to list Bluetooth (BT) aptX as a pro for a few of the headsets. Most headsets have SBC which supports sampling frequencies up to 48 kHz, bit rates up to 198 kb/s for mono streams and 345 kb/s for stereo streams. For comparison, aptX HD transfers audio at up to 576 kb/s for a 24-bit 48 kHz file, which allows for higher quality audio data to be moved more quickly. If you’re someone who really notices audio quality you should probably be spending more on your headphones, however, if you’re on a budget over the ear headphones provide fuller sound and the aptX codec will give you a better shot at the best sound quality in this price point.

I haven’t used all of these, but each does come as a personal recommendation from another tech reviewer or a friend.

VAVA MOOV 28 – Solid All Around Headset

These graced my purse for a few weeks before my dog ate them, the long battery life and good sound put them at the top of my list. Since didn’t get to use them for very long, I looked around the web for some long-term reviews I noticed that BGR thinks they sound better than Apple’s AirPods.

Pro

Great design, they don’t look budget

Magnets in the earbuds let you clip them around your neck when you’re not using them

Good sound quality

8 hours of listening is an understatement 9+ is not uncommon

If you have an hour daily commute + gym, you may only need to charge once a week

Mpow Thor Bluetooth Headphones On-Ear

Over the ear headphones are a fashion statement, they’re big so usually they’ over $30 because companies have a design tax. We have yet to find a truly svelt over the ear at this price point, but the Mpow aren’t bad. If you look closely they do look budget, but if style isn’t at the top of your list then you’ll be happy with these ok looking great sounding headphones.

8 hours battery life

loud enough to mask any background noise

better bass than in ear, but it’s not a full rich bass like you’d find in a more expensive headset

Folds For Portability

Con

2-3 hours charge time

Comfortable, but after an hour you want to remove them to rub your ears as there is a little too much pressure

Aukey Latitude EP-B40 – 2 Year Warranty

Aukey Latitude EP-B40 is a recommendation from a cute guy I struck up a conversation with at the gym. Which is why I looked them up to see if anyone else vouched for them, lucky for him, Wirecutter has named them their top budget gym pick.

Pros

Decent Sound Quality – BT aptX

Great volume, definitely loud enough even at a noisy gym

Silicone wings and tips keep the earbuds secure, long-distance running is no problem even with a lot of sweating

IPX4 waterproof and dusting rating

Magnets in the earbuds let you clip them around your neck when you’re not using them

Eight-plus-hour battery life will get you through more than a week of hour-long workouts before you have to recharge

The two-year warranty protects against manufacturing defects

Cons

The cable connecting the buds is rather long and does bounce annoyingly when you jog and is known to tug a bit as you turn your head

Right now for Black Friday the Bose SoundTrue Ultra In-Ear Headphones are on sale for $79.99 down from $129.99, it’s not $35, but if you’re after great sound quality, this is probably as close as you’ll get.